Pressing machine



'Nov. 4, 1941. s. ZAMMITTI 2,261,394

PRES SING MACHINE Filed Feb. 12, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. BY MY You a n-r 1941- s. ZAMMITTI 2,261,894

PRESSING MACHINE Filed Feb. 12, 1340 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 g INVENTOR Patented Nov. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PRESSING MACHINE Salvatore Zammitti, West Somerville, Mass. I

Application February 12, 1940, Serial No. 318,517

7 Claims.

This invention relates to pressing machines, particularly for pressing the armhole of a coat and pressing and shaping the portions of the sleeve adjacent thereto.

After a coat has been made it is pressed in several operations which usually include armhole pressing and sleeve blocking. Armhole pressing is a shaping and pressing operation performed on and adjacent the seam where the sleeve joins the body of the coat, after the coat has been turned inside out. Its chief purpose is to give fullness to the top of the sleeve near the seam in the front and back of the coat so that the sleeve drapes and hangs properly and the seam is concealed as much as possible. The operation of pressing the outside of the sleeve over the armhole is known as blocking and it is done after the coat has been turned right side out.

The object of my invention is to provide an apparatus for armhole pressing and sleeve block-' ing which effects those operations quickly, effectively and preferably simultaneously and obviates the need for turning the coat inside out. In the apparatus herein disclosed, I have achieved that result by the provision of a novel auxiliary presser member adapted to be received within the sleeve and to transmit pressure from the upper buck to the marginal portions of the armhole in such a way that it'is shaped and pressed right side out and the armhole seam is creased. During this operation the upper buck engages the portion of the sleeve that is commonly blocked in a separate operation and effects the blocking simultaneously with the armhole pressing.

My invention not only secures a superior pressing and shaping operation, but also effects substantial savings in the pressing costs per garment.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a pressing machine embodying my invention showing a coat in pressing position;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the auxiliary presser member;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the lower buck;

Fig. 4 is a plan View of the lower buck with the auxiliary presser secured in place;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation view of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical section through the buck showing the fabric being pressed;

Fig. '7 is a side elevation view of a modified form of lower buck, and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a finished coat.

As shown in Fig. 1, a machine embodying my to which is secured a standard 4 on which the lower buck 6 is mounted. The upper buck 8 is carried by a frame I0 having arms I? and I4 rotatably mounted on a shaft l6. By engaging the handle IS, the upper buck 8 may be brought down to press material disposed on the lower buck 6 and the machine is provided with the conventional pedal operated mechanism for locking the bucks closed. The upper buck may be steam heated in the usual manner and is also preferably provided with the usual perforated steam chamber into which steam is admitted by a valve controlled by a handle 20 and from which it passes to the garment being pressed to steam the same. The lower buck 6 may also be steam heated and provided with the conventional pedal operated suction apparatus adapted to draw drying air through the material. These details are well known and need not be further described since they form no part of the present invention.

An enlarged view of my lower buck is shown in Fig. 3. The upper surface is convexed slightly as indicated at 24 and supports the garment against the pressure applied by the upper buck. The end 26 is turned down to facilitate positioning of the coat on the buck for the pressing operation. At 28 I have indicated apertures through which drying air is drawn as above described. The surface of the lower buck 8 is covered with a cloth cap shown at 30 in Fig. 2.

My novel auxiliary presser member indicated at 32 in Fig. 2 is preferably made of a porous, flexible sheet material and may desirably constitute three or four plies of fine mesh copper screening. To adapt the auxiliary presser member for ready reception within a coat sleeve it may be oval shaped as indicated and of a width to be comfortably received by sleeves of several sizes. To impart resiliency to the member 32 I interpose between the plies of screening a U-shaped piece of spring metal 38 having ends 48 and 42 which protrude out from between the plies at one end of the member as indicated and turn under to form a pair of spring clips 44 at 46 useful for a purpose to be described. The plies of screening are secured together by a tape 48 turned over their aligned edges and bound by stitching 5D, suitable openings being provided for the projecting rear ends M and 42 of the U-shaped spring member 38.

The auxiliary presser member 32 thus constructed is secured to the cloth cap 30 which covers the lower buck 6. As will be described, it is desirable under certain circumstances to space invention has the usual table or work support 2 the auxiliary presser member slightly above the lower buck and for that purpose I may interpose between them, as illustrated in Fig. 5, several thicknesses of cloth indicated at 56. The auxiliary presser member, the cap 36 and the interposed spacing thicknesses of cloth 56 are secured together by stitching 58 passing through them,- the screen meshes permitting such stitching. The edge 60 of the spacer padding 56 is curved to conform generally to the curvature of the armhole seam. In the absence of a spacer the presser member and cap will be secured together directly by stitching having the contour of an armhole seam.

The cap 30 to which the auxiliary presser member is thus secured is in turn secured to the plate of the lower buck 6 by having its edge 64 turned under and provided with a draw string 68 tightened under the edge of buck 6 after the cap has been positioned thereon. During this positioning operation the spring clips 44 and 46 which pass under the turned edge of the cap 64 are also clipped under the rearwardly projecting edge 68 of the lower buck plate and thereby afford additional means for securing the auxiliary presser member in place. If desired, one or more screws, as indicated at 6|, may also be used, but this is usually not necessary.

The upper buck 8 is concaved to conform to the convex curvature of the lower buck 6. The auxiliary presser member is forced to assume a conforming curvature by the pressure applied to it by the upper buck and it is permitted to assume it by reason of its inherent resiliency.

In using apparatus constructed as above described for armhole pressing, the coat is positioned on the lower buck, as illustrated in Fig. l, with the inside of the coat supported by the lower buck 6 and with the auxiliary presser member 32 received within the sleeve. The coat may be readily and quickly placed in pressing position since the spring insert 38 effects an upward deflection of the auxiliary presser member 32 in a direction opposite to the downward deflection of portion 26 of the lower buck 6 forming an open mouth into which the seam at the armhole is readily inserted.

The upper buck 8 is then closed on the lower buck and locked in position after which wet steam is issued from the upper buck to soften the fabric in the usual manner. As soon as the upper buck strikes the protruding portion 10 of the sleeve of coat [2 it begins to deflect the auxiliary presser member downwardly. Such deflection continues during the closing movement of the upper buck and as the extreme closed position is approached the auxiliary presser member commences squeezing the armhole seam between it and the lower presser member. When the bucks are locked closed an effective pressing of the armhole seam from the front of the coat under the sleeve to the rear is accomplished. At the completion of the pressing operation, drying air is applied in the usual manner.

When the upper buck is released and the coat is removed it will be found that the armhole seam is so pressed as to cause the marginal portions of the sleeve and body adjacent the armhole sleeve to be smoothly pressed and to have the desired fullness indicated at H16 in Fig. 8. Similarly, the corresponding portions of the rear of the coat have a fullness imparted to them and as a result the sleeve drapes and hangs properly by the side of the coat. It will, of course, be appreciated that should the coat be of such a large size that the auxiliary presser is not able to press the seam at both the front and rear of the coat simultaneously, two pressing bites will be taken, one toward the front and one toward the rear.

While the seam is thus being pressed the top of the sleeve at the side of the coat indicated at I02 is blocked.

. From the above description it is apparent that my invention attains the objects above recited and that it insures an effective pressing of the armhole seam without turning the coat inside out and simultaneously effects a blocking of the top of the sleeve.

The preferred embodiment of my invention above described may be variously modified without departing from the spirit of my invention which is to be limited only as the appended claims require. Thus, I prefer to employ a spacer member, as illustrated at 56, to insure the pressing and molding of a substantial portion of the sleeve and side of the coat in the vicinity of the seam. Yet in some instances, such as when pressing thin materials, a spacer member may not be needed. When used it may not constitute a layer of cloth wadding, but may be formed as an integral part of the lower buck as I have indicated in Fig. 7. There the buck 6a is cast or otherwise formed with a ledge 56a, cloth covered at 86, and the auxiliary presser member 32 is permanently secured in place by screws 82. The embodiment first described has, however, the advantage over the Fig. 7 construction that the auxiliary presser member can be removed when armhole pressing is not desired and the machine is then useful for ordinary pressing operations.

I claim:

1. In a machine for pressing the armhole of a coat, the combination of a lower buck to support the inside of the coat, an upper buck adapted to apply pressure to the coat supported on the lower buck, an auxiliary presser member attached to the lower buck and shaped to be received within the sleeve, said auxiliary presser member being adapted to press the armhole between it and the lower buck, and a spacer member interposed between and secured to the auxiliary presser member and the bottom buck of a thickness to effect pressing of a substantial area of the margin of the sleeve adjacent the armhole seam.

2. In a machine for pressing the armhole of a coat, the combination of a lower buck to support the inside of the coat, an upper buck adapted to apply pressure to the coat supported on the lower buck and an auxiliary presser member attached to the lower buck and shaped to be received within the sleeve, said auxiliary presser member being adapted to press the armhole between it and the lower buck, the lower buck having a downwardly inclined edge at one end thereof and the auxiliary presser member being resilient and having an edge that is yieldingly disposed upwardly to form with the downwardly inclined edge of the buck a mouth for ready insertion of the armhole seam.

3. In a machine for pressing the armhole of. a coat, the combination of a lower buck to support the inside of the coat, an upper buck adapted to apply pressure to the coat supported on the lower buck, an auxiliary presser member spaced from the lower buck and shaped to be received within the sleeve, said auxiliary presser member being adapted to press the armhole between it and the lower buck, a removable cloth cap covering the lower buck, wadding interposed between the cap and the auxiliary presser member to space the cap and member apart and means securing the auxiliary presser member, wedding and cap together.

4. In a machine for pressing the armhole of a coat, the combination of a lower buck to support the inside of the coat, an upper buck adapted to apply pressure to the coat supported on the lower buck, an auxiliary presser member shaped to be received within the sleeve, a ledge permanently formed on the lower buck of a thickness to effect pressing by the! auxiliary presser member of a substantial area of the margin of the sleeve adjacent the armhole seam and means attaching the auxiliary presser member to the ledge.

5. In a machine for pressing the portions of a coat adjacent the armhole, the combination of a lower buck having a convex surface adapted to support the inside of the coat, an auxiliary presser member having a substantially plane pressing surface adapted to be inserted in the armhole of the coat and to be brought into pressing engagement with the seam, said auxiliary presser member being constructed of resilient material and an upper presser member, having a concave pressing surface and adapted, when closed on the coat supported on the lower buck, to bend the said resilient auxiliary presser member in such an amount that its said substantially plane pressing surface is forced into conformity with the contour of the portions of the coat lying beneath it.

6. In a machine for pressing the portions of a coat adjacent the armhole, the combination of a lower buck having a convex surface adapted to support the inside of the coat, an auxiliary presser member having a substantially plane pressing surface adapted to be inserted in the armhole of the coat and to be brought into pressing engagement with the seam, said auxiliary presser member being constructed of porous wire screening having a frameworkof spring material rendering the presser member resilient, and an upper presser member, having a concave pressing surface and adapted, when closed on the coat supported on the lower buck, to bend the said resilient auxiliary presser member in such an amount that its substantially plane pressing surface is forced into conformity with the contour of the portions of the coat lying beneath it.

'7. In a device for pressing garments, a pressing base covered by a press pad, said pad having a bifacial flexible pressing leaf attached thereto Within the pressure area, said base having a horizontal pressing surface in the pressure area and being elongated and deflected from the horizontal in the non-pressure area, said deflected surface tapering to a blunt point, both horizontal and deflected surfaces being slightly rounded transversely, said pressing leaf being attached to said press pad adjacent to the horizontal end of said pad.

SALVATORE ZAMMITTI. 

